Music as a Study Tool: 5 Albums to Ease Your Stress

Have you ever found yourself cramming for an exam the night before a test? Yeah, me too. Page after page do you find yourself becoming less and less interested in the material? I think we’ve all been there.

Here’s one tip I can give you, have good music in the background as you get your study on. I’ve noticed that listening to music really helps you ease your mind and focus more on the material in front of you.

Who knew music could be a decent study tool? It’s so important to have a good mindset when you go into studying and tackling your assignments. Below, I’ve made a list of five music artists and bands that I’ve found make studying a little more bearable!

1. Frank Ocean

Honestly, Frank Ocean’s entire discography is worth a listen. However, his latest full-length album “Blonde” borders on being a masterpiece. Ocean’s poetic wordplay and melodic voice flows oh-so perfectly over the equally as beautiful music. The mood of this album makes it almost perfect to listen to while you study for exams.

Released in August 2016, “Blonde” remains in my daily music rotation and allows me to think freely and feel calm after a full listen. A few tracks from “Blonde” to help ease your mind when studying are “Pink + White,” which features Beyoncé, and album single “Nikes.”

Steve Lacy is a 19-year-old bassist and producer. Lacy is a part of the Grammy-nominated Neo-Soul band called The Internet. Earlier this year, Lacy and a few other members of The Internet released their own solo projects. The “Steve Lacy Demo” is a series of 6 songs that only leave you craving more of Lacy’s unique musical style.

Lacy uses the bass and other instruments to create a groovy, chill vibe that makes listeners feel good about themselves. Lacy’s debut music video “Ryd/Dark Red” features two of the six tracks found on his demo.

Although his own tracklist isn’t too long, you can find Lacy’s production on The Internet’s album “Ego Death,” J Cole’s “4 Your Eyez Only” album, as well as Kendrick Lamar’s most recent album “DAMN.” It’s safe to say Lacy is making a name for himself in the music world!

Annie Clark, famously known as St. Vincent, has been on the music scene for over a decade. Clark formed her band St. Vincent in 2006, and their debut album “Marry Me” came out in 2007. St. Vincent’s music can be referred to as a blend of many genres, mixing the vibrancy from rock music with the jazziness that comes from their appreciation of well, Jazz!

My favorite album of theirs would have to be their third release, “Strange Mercy.” The mixture of genres really shines through in this project, beginning upbeat and then slowly becoming more ominous with each song. While listening, you’ll probably experience a range of emotions, but you will have read all of your material by the end. I promise.

R&B duo Chloe X Halle caught the attention of Beyoncé a few years ago and are now signed to her label Parkwood Entertainment.

Sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey, just 19 and 17 years old, began their musical journey on Youtube, where they’d release music covers and their own written songs. To this day they still do song covers and post on their youtube channel regularly.

Their first musical release with Parkwood Entertainment was the EP titled “Sugar Symphony.” This EP features their debut single “Drop,” which has a dark, R&B vibe to it, with the angelic harmonizing of Chloe X Halle on top of that. In early 2017, the duo released their first mixtape, “The Two of Us.”

Tame Impala is a psychedelic rock band from Perth, Australia. Beginning in 2007, Tame Impala has released five albums since then and their music has evolved and gotten better with each release.

Tame Impala can be considered as alternative rock as well, but their music is just really chill, indie vibes. If you’re looking to be transfixed while studying, I’d definitely recommend Tame Impala! Their latest full-length project, “Currents,” was released in 2015. It is the perfect compilation of songs to make studying less painful, and more pleasant.

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My name is Ashley Logan and I'm a Communications/ Journalism major studying at Albright College. I'll be graduating in 2018 and I'm so excited to enter the workforce and put all my ideas to use. I love writing about music, fashion, inclusivity, and whatever has been on my mind lately.